Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to community viewpoints. Is Shawnee feeling blessed and highly
favored on this Sunday morning. We are lifting every voice
in our community and uplifting women who are fierce and
doing phenomenal things in our community. So this morning I
have the pleasure of interviewing Charmonique McDaniels. Good morning, Charmonique.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good morning Shannie. Thank you so much for having.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Me see you in the community and just vibing with
you when I'm on location at certain events. I wanted
the community to just hear you and what you are
all about. So if you would tell us who is
Charmonique McDaniels.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Charmonie McDaniel is a voice, an advocate, a community builder,
a mentor, a pillar, a child of God. I've been
in law enforcement for about nineteen years, and prior to that,
I was a school social worker. So the social worker
in me has shown up every day of my nineteen
your career to service people, and I think we have
(01:02):
to sharpen that skill set. Even though sometimes we're dealing
with people's worst day of their life, we still have
to service them like they matter and that you know,
when this crisis is over, for them. Prayerfully their life
is turned around.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Community Shawnee with one of our pillars of strength in
the community. Today, I wanted to highlight female police officers
in our community, and Sharmanique is as you know her
and we'll understand in our community. So, if you would
starting off nineteen years as a police officer, what has
been your experience interacting with the diverse population in Duval County.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Initially I was a beat officer, a patrol officer that
handled nine one one calls, and I've done that from
Mond Creep to Mandarin. And what I'll say is I've
given people the same love and respect that I would
want if I were in their shoes, whether that was
a witness of suspect or a victim. You know, nobody
wakes up in the morning says I want to have
to call nine one one today. But when you find
(01:59):
yourself in that situation, I think it's powerful for someone
that has the authority and the badge and the gun
to still have compassion. And I feel like compassion is
my superpower. And I don't think you're going to find
anyone between mind, craf or manner and that's going to
say that I wasn't fair, that I wasn't compassionate. And
so when my career ends and I look back and
I reflect on what I want my legacy to be,
(02:21):
and that to be that you know, I was fair.
I was compassionate to every neighborhood, every social economic status,
so that people really know that public service is a
noble thing. And I'm grateful to have had the opportunity
to serve our community in our city.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Shany talk to us about the strategies you have on
building trust from Moncrief to Mandarin, and how you address
that specifically with the community concerns.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So, I think sometimes people, depending on what neighborhood they're from,
they have a misconfused view of what police officers that
want to do or say, or how they're going to
treat them. So when I meet people, when I encounter
them in the line of duty, I go in saying, hey,
I'm not sure how the last law enforcement professional treated you,
but let's start fresh. I don't know you, you know me,
(03:11):
this is my role. I'm here to help you, no
matter what happened before I got here. Let's go in,
you know, blindly trying to do you know, what is right.
If someone did something wrong, and yes, there will be
some accountability. However, let's not make this worse than what
it has to be. And I think you know a
lot of time earning police officers, we have the lead
way to de escalate or to stir things a little more.
(03:32):
And I think again, coming in with compassion for whatever's
happened before I got there normally helps me. And we
can do verbal judo all day with people, but I
think people just want to know that you care. Obviously,
I get paid to service people's problems, but outside of money,
I think you know, because I know my purpose and
that God has me here for a reason, specifically to
serve his people. I'm going to help build them up
(03:54):
and to build that community trust. I am going to
take my time to make sure that when I leave,
they leave better than it was when I got there,
no matter what happened prior to my arrival.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Women History Month community.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
I wanted to highlight the Shirahs in the community and
char Monique is one of them, and she has been
thriving and surviving by protecting us. Charmonique, as a female
police officer, what are the challenges for you?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So I work in a predominantly white male field. I
knew that coming in, so it was my desire to
remove the stigma that, you know, maybe women don't know
what they're doing, or maybe black women aren't capable. I've
been fortunate enough to do some amazing things that jso like.
I was the first black female in the history of
the city to be on the Mayor's security detail. So
(04:38):
with that weight, I felt like I was taking all
the women with me in those rooms, the shoulders that
I stand on, because I know over time, as you
look at the diversity in law enforcement, there have not
been historically a lot of black women. So I think
the ballpark figure is around eleven percent in our agency.
So you look at those numbers, you may be the
(04:59):
only pers in the room that looks like you, that
feels what you feel because you come from a specific
neighborhood or school or anything like that. But I think, again,
I am standing on the shoulders of women who opened
doors that I would be able to just walk through
and show up. Now, while I came into police work
with a master's degree, every person doesn't have that. But
I knew coming in. I started doing research. I looked
(05:22):
at black female chiefs I looked at women around the
country that looked like me that were doing great things,
and I pulled some inspiration from that. But also the
black female women that were my mom's friends, that were
in our church and in our community, that saw potential
in me as a teenager, that spoke life into me,
and I felt like, those are the things that I
(05:42):
should be doing when I see young people throughout Jacksonville
that just need someone to see the potential in them
and to water that and to help them flourish.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Speaking to a Shira in our community, as you can see,
she has a passion for our community. Charmannique, if you
would talk to us about, you know, the positive relationships
that you have forged in this community and how our
community is currently thriving with that.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
So I served in our Community Engagement division for about
seven years where I came in contact with faith based initiatives,
charter schools, public schools, apartment complexes. And you talk about
a diverse group of people, people from children to the elderly,
servicing them and figuring out how JSO could come in
(06:28):
and create a faithless living environment for them. Because obviously,
police officers have a job to do when we get
off at a certain time when we go back to
our homes. But it was me coming in on a
Saturday and a T shirt and shorts and playing touch
with kids and talking about the things that were happening
to them when the police officers were not around and
not present to protect them. And so, you know, you
called nine one one, and we respond. But what are
(06:48):
we doing outside of that window of just being compensated
to fix what we know is broken? And so when
I looked in the eyes of children that I know
had been exposed to trauma, I took it upon myself
to do that. Now, the next person may not do that,
but I felt led to do that, and through that,
I've been able to build trust, like I said, in
schools and churches, and people call me when it's you know,
(07:10):
it's really really bad or it's really really good.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I've had moms to call me that said, you know, hey,
my child cut off their ankle monitor I don't know
what to do. I can't imagine that being mean, But
I put myself in that person's shoes and show again
with compassion and hopefully some recommendations that's going to help
them reuel their child back cancer. That they don't end
up as a part of the criminal justice system for
the rest of their lives. Any child can change, and
I always encourage parents never give up on your child.
(07:35):
I know it looks them, I know they've done something
really bad today, but tomorrow can be the best day
of their lives because they've changed their mind about wanting
to do what is right or what is wrong.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Speaking to Charmonique McDaniels, she's here representing herself as fierce woman,
complimenting women in history months allowing her to share her story, charmaned,
I know that this is a challenging job. So how
do you deal with mental health?
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Wow? So mental health is very very dear to me
because I am actually a full time caregiver to a
younger brother who suffers from a mental illness outside of
my job. So that's something that is a daily responsibility
of mine outside of work. So a lot of the
(08:26):
issues that we've had across our city they're stemmed in
mental health. Some of the homelessness, the recidivism and getting
arrested for the same things is they're hungry, they don't
have anywhere to sleep, and so I know our city
is looking at ways to combat that. But you know,
as an officer, when I see someone in crisis, I'm
not threatened by that. I know that it's their illness.
And because of my background and case management as a
(08:47):
social worker and also dealing with that with my brother,
I know that it takes patience and so sometimes police
officers show up with just you know, limited information. But
I think we're doing a better job in our city
with training everyone in the crisis situations, where all of
(09:09):
our officers are ci T certified, so that we can
acknowledge when something is maybe a mental health issue, or
if it's maybe you know, drugs involved or those kinds
of things, but just having the patience to show up
and process what is really going on with that person
or if they're absolutely being violent, because sometimes that is
the case and obviously that's why you know, people are
calling the police so they don't know what use to
do on when their family, friends are love, when they're
(09:31):
acting out in a certain way and they don't feel safe.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Sharmannie McDaniel's community here to talk to us about her
role in the community, empowering us with every word, talk
to us about you know, everyday life. It looks like
you have a full plate, but you still arrive, you
still come in the office, and you still want to
serve Black history as we know it is every day,
(09:55):
not just the month of February. Being an African American police,
you are history in our eyes, my eyes. Thank you
for your service. What does black history mean to you?
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Thank you for the love. I definitely appreciate that. I
had a very strong, god fearing mother that raised me
in the church, and she taught me to serve people,
and I did community service with the Jacksonville Urban League
and through our local church. And I can remember my
family going to the radio stations to clean the radio
stations that our church could be on the radio for
(10:27):
a window and a segment. So that is instilled in
my fiber, and I thank God for that because I'm
better than no one, not because I just went to
the police academy or graduate school or anything like that.
It should be me tomorrow and them today. And so
I'm not bigger than any issue that human beings space,
because this is life and it happens to all of us.
But just having a healthy perspective to serve people, to
(10:50):
be fair. I get that from my mom and I
definitely stand on her shoulders. Claudia Campbell was the most
amazing woman in the world. And that being said, I'm
a part of you know Big Brothers, you know through
JSO community engagement. I've done the safety patrol trips and
then the Team Police Academy, and I get a chance
to see children when they're in fifth grade and then
again when they're in eleventh or twelfth grade, and I
(11:11):
get to see the celebratory moments. Also sometimes the parents
call me when they get in trouble, but building again,
building that trust from when they're young. I feel honored
to be the person that people trust with the intricate
issues of matriculation, because sometimes children don't have a good
guide on what's writing, what's wrong because of how they're
(11:33):
growing up. And so to be that pillar in the
community that people can lean on to move forward. I
don't take that for granted. I've done all the sports
and played with the YMCA, and I talk about character
building a lot with my friends of mine that are
coaches and also like youth ministry leaders. We talk about
how can we bridge the gap because it starts at
(11:53):
home obviously, but once kids leave home, what are we
doing to add layers of security and support and meaningful
options for these kids to get into want to get
out of school. Some kids don't have anybody monitoring them
until late at night, so what are they doing with
that five six hour window every evening? When kids get bored,
anything can happen, and so we have to give them
(12:14):
some positive influences and outlets to occupy themselves. I played
five sports in middle school, for in high school and
too in college. I had practice almost every day, and
so my community is who supported me and told me
I could be anything that I want to be. So
I'm conscious to remind children that you know, life is
just starting for you. You can be anything you want
(12:34):
to be, but again, to compliment your strengths and develop
your week areas in life. None of us are perfect,
but tomorrow is another day. Your best is yet to come.
These are things I say to all of my menteens
because I really, really truly believe that.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Thank you so much for being a part of community.
Do you point Charmannique McDaniel's here with us today, community
empowering us, understanding that every day is a battle for
all of us. But as a female police police officer,
her vision and her beat is a little different. Charmanique.
I know that you are now a police officer, and
(13:10):
what's your vision, what's next for you?
Speaker 2 (13:12):
My vision is, obviously I want to finish my career
at jas SO, but there'll be some nonprofit work in
my future. I just feel like, by God's design, all
the things that I've done, as far as being a
youth ministry leader, being in the school systems, in these
meetings where we're coming up with safety plans for schools
and for children that may have issues, coupled with my
(13:33):
experience at jas SO, I'm going to have to use
that to serve people for the rest of my life.
So whatever God's plan is, I'm open to that. But
I know there'll be some nonprofit work in the future.
Every week I'm getting calls from different people about different
things because I've been around this type of work so long.
I want to see kids getting involved in community service
and caring about what's happening around them so that they
(13:54):
don't go out and hurt their futures and hurt the
people that live around them. We have to have more
accountability and get back to a real community where we
think about what we do before we do it because
it affects those who live and grow up and work
around us.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
And currently, what is the feel of the city right now?
I don't see as much crime and violence as a
woman in the streets on the beat police officer.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
What's the beat right now for our city?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
So I'm currently assigned to our specialized Investigations unit as
a detective. But what I will say is what I
see is is crime is down. I think crime is
down because we're holding people accountable as it relates to crime.
But more than anything, again, our young people that are
exposed to trauma early that looks like a cycle, and
(14:41):
so when we reach them younger, I think we can
address whatever it is that they're curious about or that
has been going down the wrong path and try to
steer them in a better direction so that they'll want
to be more than they've ever seen before. Exposure is everything,
I think. You know, some people have never left their
thought of town, or never traveled, or never been exposed
to all the things that they want to be. So
(15:03):
being a football player and a basketball player is great,
But what if you have a life an injury that
is going to cut your caresh work? What's the next
best thing. So I never let children tell me I
just want to be an athlete. What else? If that
doesn't work, you have to have a plan to win.
You have to aim high. I believe in shooting for
the stars because if you don't, once you have a
bump in the road, you're ready to quit when you can't.
(15:24):
Build winners with that mentality, and I think the more
winners we have in the city will win together collectively.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Charmanique McDaniel's ladies and gentlemen community a pillar of strength
in our community, ready and willing to serve from Moncreeve
to Mandarin with a caring heart and a just spirit.
Thank you so much for your time today, for your
words of encouragement. Females around the world will understand it's
(15:51):
not easy being a female police officer, but you are
doing a great job. Last question, you reference God a lot,
which you know we're grounded in that a phrase something
that you go by every morning while you're in the
gym that the community can hold on or understand that
(16:12):
fills you up in the morning and guides.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
You through the day.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I'm a firm believer that to who much has ven,
much is required, and so while I've encountered people that
felt like maybe I was doing too much or going
too hard, or whether going to be appreciated by others.
It is not my role to understand what other people
are doing or what motivates them, but to carry the
cross that God has given me, which includes pushing young
(16:36):
people to live in their God given potential and to
be the best that they can be. I have a
number of success stories, and I'm grateful again that that
people trust me with that behind the scenes of their life.
But again, I've kept God first, and that's what's worked
for me. And I'll tell any young person you can't
do it alone. You have to figure out who you
(16:57):
are and why you're here and follow your purpose. And
me serving people has really really been a beautiful journey
from me.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Thank you so much for your time today. Charmonnique McDaniels,
fierce female police officer, highlighting Women History Month this Sunday
and just sharing and lifting every voice in our community.
So thank you for your due diligence. Thank you for
being a pillar. Thank you for being a smiling face
police officer in our community and being approachable in our community.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Thank you for your time today. Charmonique.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
It's my pleasure. Women are gaate keepers and I'm just
grateful to be on this journey.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Community.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You never know what a law enforcement officer is going through.
We have some fierce females out there, and you never
know what someone is going through in uniform. Please understand
they are steadfast in service. So thank you so much for.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Your time, my pleasure, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And we're back with community viewpoints. We are highlighting phenomenal women.
You know, we highlighted the international woman today. I have
an international woman on the line. The woman that I'm
speaking to happens to be my sister. She is full
of power, energy, she drives enthusiasm with a smile. Today
(18:21):
I would like to share with you Kiaren Athena Ergis.
Good morning, Karen, how are you.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Good morning, Shawnee. I'm doing great. I'm feeling very blessed
and grateful to share my life with you and your
listeners community.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
If you're just tuning in, Shawnee speaking to Karen, honoring
the extraordinary contributions, resilience and achievements of women. I wanted
to highlight my sister today just because she is resilient
in community service. I am highlighting women who you know,
take the community as their own. And so today I
have my own sister. She's my older sister. But before
(18:58):
we get into what she does in the community, I
would like to share with you some of the things
that she's done. She second runner up for Miss Black Ontario.
She is an avid, avid community activist. My sister is
someone who taught me dental hygiene. She's also someone who
has helped us as a family to take care of
(19:20):
things we may not want to as a legal entity.
So Karen, if you would talk to us about, you know,
just starting off as a dental hygienis and then you know,
as your life progressed, what you've been doing.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Thanks for that intro, Yes to the listeners. So I
started off in dental hygiene and I have to honestly
say maybe forty years ago. And when my clients look
at me, they can't believe that, but you know how
it is when you are blessed with good skin and
good hygiene. So forty years ago I took the opportunity
to go into dental assisting because out of high school
I didn't really know what I really wanted to be
(19:54):
and I wasn't. I also believe that I wasn't the
sharpest pencil in the box, but I wanted to get
into someone's I enjoyed mouth and I wanted to get
more involved with the community. Oral health is so important
to our overall health. So I became a dental assistant,
and back then you had to be a dental assistant
before you could be a dental hygienist. So I did
that for five years and then became a hygienis back
(20:15):
in nineteen eighty nine. Since then, I'm still a hygienis.
I registered hygienis. I worked for a gum specialists, so
I learned everything about gum disease and still in the
community helping others understand that. And to that end, I
was able to go into the community and help first Nations,
women and children Unreserve. These are the first nations of Canada.
(20:37):
It could be the first nasion of Quebec, Ontario and
help them and their community to understand oral health and
its benefits and its connection to overall health. I did
that for seven years, and in doing that, I realized that,
you know, there was so much that I didn't know
about the law. I have three beautiful men, black men,
and as you might know some of the community, they're
(20:59):
not always treated fairly in the community when you have
black men striving to be their greatest potential. So my
sons were often interrogated by the law, and I felt,
you know, the best way to actually know how to
deal with that was to go to law school. So
I did go to law school ten years ago, actually
fifteen years ago, and graduated ten years ago and now
(21:22):
I practice business law, but I did start with criminal
law because that will helping me understand how to navigate
the criminal systems for people of color, men of color
and First Nations individuals, because in Canada and I think
it's the same in the States, the criminal system is
filled with people of color and First Nations individuals in jails,
(21:44):
and I wanted to be part of that system to
help those understand, especially my sons, understand what they need
to know about how to maneuver the criminal system. What
do you do when you get stopped by a police
officer if you're speeding, or maybe you're not speeding, but
you were actually profile that. I was able to help
my son, but at the end of the day, now
I am practicing business law because criminal law is very
(22:07):
taxing on the mind. It was very sad to see myself,
meaning people of color, in the criminal system. So now
it's in my community. I give away that knowledge. I
share my brain with those of the community that get
in trouble with the law and they reach out and
I can, at no charge let them know what to
do and how to navigate that. So that's how I'm
giving back to my community in the criminal system. Now
(22:28):
I practice a business law and I help others with
will's and estate employment law. I'm helping a lot of
individuals when you know, if you get fired and you
have a contract and needs to be reviewed and you
want to make sure that you're not being taken advantage
of all review those contracts for anyone across Canada and
the US. Because the law is similar, I can share
my mind anyways and give legal advice when needed. So
(22:51):
now I'm practicing still as a dental hygienist register dental
had three days a week, and then I practice four
days a week as a lawyer. And it's interesting because
now I'm known as the only dental hygienis and lawyer
that actually practices both those professions. There may be somebody
else around, but I don't know, but I do believe
I'm still the only person practicing those two professions at
(23:12):
the same time simultaneously. So that's my journey from dental
hygiene General System dnal hygienis and I'm now a lawyer community.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
If you're just tuning in Shawnee speaking to Karen Ergis,
this is my sister. She's modest in her summary of
her endeavors because what Karen has done is taken her
expertise and has gone into the community. If you've listened,
she says free a lot. She has empowered women and girls.
She's empowered her own sons and family. And one of
(23:44):
the reasons why I wanted to bring her on the
show today is because anywhere in the world there are
people like my sister giving back, trying to make any
community a better community. So thank you Karen for doing
those things. I know that you not just give free
services to Canada. You've traveled to Jamaica and other places.
(24:06):
Talk to us about that.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Yes, I mean you've got such a good memory, and
yes I did at one time, and I think it's
twenty fifteen, because you know, we were born in Jamaica,
and as you know, I'm the Caribbean. There's many people
can't afford dental care. So I was able to take
a journey to Jamaica in twenty fifteen and spent two
weeks at a resort, and then the goal was to
(24:29):
go out in the community and offer oral health care
to the children and women and families in those community
and parishes. So that I did and I really enjoyed it.
I worked from seven in the morning to seven at night,
educating and cleaning individuals teeth and educating them about gum
disease because many of them have gum disease but have
beautiful teeth, they don't have cavities, but the gum disease
(24:49):
is rampant. So it was really awesome to give back
to my country, go back to Jamaica and give that
skill back and help others with their oral health. So
thanks for remember bring that. But yes, going back home
to Jamaica and giving back is such a It's so
rewarding for me to do that, just help others with
my skill.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
And one of the things is women we often don't
rag about ourselves, we don't boast. So today I would
like to take the opportunity to share my sister Karen
with you all, understanding that both of us are entwined
with the community. We want to help any community where
we live. Understanding we always give back to our homeland
which is Jamaica and of course our second land which
(25:33):
is Canada. Karen often travels just reading some of her
accolades here. One of the things my sister does is
she maintains a connection and commits to her community locally
or nationally any level. Currently, she works in a nonprofit
environment and has worked in a nonprofit environment for years. Karen,
(25:55):
if you would talk to us about, you know, the feeling,
the empowerment of working and powering that nonprofit nation as
you will.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Thank you for mentioning that nonprofits for those who don't know,
is that the profit organization gets money, whether they get
money from the government or they earn that or fundraising,
and it's only for the project. So when you're working
for nonprofit then you're not assured if the project is over,
you may not have a job. So I've been working
with the Native Women's Association of Canada and they've been
(26:24):
in business since I believe nineteen seventy four, so over
fifty years now. And what we do is we try
to empower women to find employment or health, anything that entrepreneurship,
anything that can help them foster and grow. The First
nations of Canada, many of the women are the leaders
of their families, so helping them find jobs, and particularly
(26:46):
what I was doing was helping them find jobs in
the trades, so electrician, plumber, welder, the jobs, the non
traditional jobs that usually men do. So we're trying to
get women in those positions because as you know in
Canada and the US, yes, those trade skills are dying.
The older generation is leaving and no one's coming on
because everybody's going to university and very few people are
(27:07):
going into the trades because they think the trades is
debuty or it's not for the smart individual and actuality.
The trades are very difficult because you've got to work
with your hands and it consists of maybe math and
physics and what have you. So the trades and also
the trades enable you to be an entrepreneur, you can
be a business owner. So over the last two or
(27:28):
three years of able to help ten women find jobs
in the trades, I believe there were eight welders and
two electricians. For me, that is amazing because now they
can feed themselves and feed their family always. Once you
have that skill, you don't lose it, so you can
work anywhere and any time. So empowering individuals to have
(27:48):
the opportunity to work, support themselves and their family, and
then help them down the road as a business lawyer
help them to become a business. So then now they
can be the employer and they can hire others, you know,
to join on and teach others, so there can be
a change. And many of the children really look up
to their moms and dads, but children now look up
(28:09):
to their moms that they can you know, I can
be a welder, I can be electrician, I can be
a plumber. It's very empowering to see children look at
their parents and and wish to be like their parents
and being a part of that. For me, I don't
think any words can explain exactly how that feels. When
someone found a job in the trades and they can
work and they can now make money for their family
(28:30):
which they couldn't do before. So working for nonprofit is
very empowering, it's very rewarding, and you can see it
changes lives, you know.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I do.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I see that, Kennunity. If you're just tuning in Shawnie
speaking to Karen. She is my sister. We have the
same mother and father, and she has been empowering communities
just like I have. So today I wanted to bring
around the show just to share her with you. As
I stated, Karen has an array of atlids. One of
(29:01):
the things that she also does is she's an author
and she has written a book and it's empowering to
the healthcare environment. We both work in the healthcare arena.
Our mother was in healthcare. Karen, if you would talk
to us about your book, the title, and your mission
for that book.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
It's so nice to be speaking to my sister in
a community because Shan, I'm also very proud of what
you do. So to say that one of my desires
in life was to write a book, maybe three. So
I've written a book and the book encompasses my forty
years of knowledge. So it's about over health. But everyone
has told me that has read the books available in Amazon,
(29:40):
it's about it can be in any arena, any arena
you can read this book where you can get some
ideas and some goals about professionalism, how to continue making
a difference with your business in your community. When there
are ten offices around you and you're the only one,
how do you become different than the others. So the
book in itself empowers individuals to be professionals and to
(30:02):
be the best at their business. So it's not only
for the oral health, but it's for any business that
there is an employer and an employee that is offering
a service. I wanted to accomplish that because one, you know,
forty years of knowledge goes by without me. So that
book was to symbolize my knowledge and leave behind a
legacy for my family. It's always going to be there
(30:23):
for Mom Soanjie and Sean, my sisters, my mother, my father,
and my children. So it's there always and I wanted
to do that as a legacy for our family. I'm
very grateful that I was able to accomplish this because
it wasn't an easy feat, but I had a lot
of help to get that book on the shelf. And
hoping to do another two books for my own life,
my own biography.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Community Shawnee Speaking and highlighting women in our community, in
our country internationally who are doing great things to empower
each other, to empower a community, to empower women and girls.
Today I have the privilege of sharing my sister Karen.
She has a plethora of accolades. Things that is a
common denominator with she and I is that we are
(31:06):
community based. We take that from our mother. I truly
believe we care about people and our community, and we
are resilient in ensuring that we help our community as servants.
One of the things I learned is that if you
don't take care of your teeth or your gums, it
could cause cardiac arrest.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
That is right. It can cause many things, premature babies, diabetes,
it can make other diseases manifest a little bit sooner.
But I don't think people think about it. Your mouth
is the entry to everything. So if there's bactery in
your mouth, which we do have, we have good and bad.
But if you have more of a bad BACTERI and
you don't take care of your teeth, like going to
the dentist at least once a year for nourmal examination
(31:45):
and senior dental hygienis at least twice a year at
a minimum between the ages of zero to twenty five,
and then twenty five up maybe three times a year.
You're not taking care of the disease in your mouth,
and it does travel because all your teeth are to
to the veins and arteries that are in you, goes
to your heart and everywhere else. So it's understood that
(32:07):
you should take your mouth because it actually affects the
rest of your body. You know, you are what you eat.
As they say, it's not only about the food that
you eat, but it's about the oral health condition of
your mouth. And for those who do not know, oral
cancer happens first in the mouth. You know, you can
usually see it in the mouth. If you're going to
see your dental hygienis, we're always looking in your teeth,
(32:29):
in your mouth and your gums more so than your physician.
Most people see their dental hygienis or dentists more often
than their physicians. So chances are it's going to be
the dental office that's going to notice any changes in
your mouth, and that usually would be oral cancer, depending
on what your genetics may be.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
So you're doing.
Speaker 4 (32:48):
Yourself a favor by it's going to your dentist for
your oral exam. Because it's also kind of like the
physical exam to see what else is going on in your.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Mouth community Shanni highlighting women, empowering the community, understanding what
is needed to make a better community. Karen, I know
that as we move and groove and life is lifing,
we have something that keeps us going. And you and
I know that we were brought up in the church,
and I know that's one of the things that keeps
(33:16):
us steadfast. What else keeps you steadfast? To keep going,
to keep empowering others.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
The listeners that are listening, and all the mothers that
are out there, and fathers and single parents and single fathers.
The one that keeps me going is the fact that
I am a mother of three amazing great boys. I mean,
as a mother, we really have a job and a
task to take care of our children in every shape
and form, because we're leaving those children to the community.
(33:42):
And you know, if you take the time to take
care of your children, well of course they're going to
take care of you, but also they're going to be
part of a community. So we talk about being community
based and taking care of the community, but what we
put into the community affects the community on a whole.
So what keeps me going is to make sure that
my children I'm their parents. As they grow older, I
become their advisors, to be always available to them for advice,
(34:06):
whether it be legal advice or just parental advice to
guide them, because once your mother will always be a mother,
So take care of your children is one of the
things that I want to continue to do well because
when I leave, there will be in the community and
they will be representing me in the community and making
sure that as I'm giving back to the community, they
see that as an example so that they continue to
(34:29):
give back at the community, which they are doing now,
and I'm so proud of that for them that I'm
actually a good role model to my children that they
can continue my legacy when I'm not here anymore.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Thank you as my daughter Jayles, she's studying now for
to take the dental exam to get into dental school.
So I want to thank you for being an example
and also a great friend to me. I want to
thank you as a sister. I want to thank you
as a woman. I want to thank you as a
powerful woman in the community for being said fast and
taking care of our fathers. As as an attorney, so
(35:01):
thank you for just being a woman of strength.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
You're welcome to you. I want to stay into listeners
that they're we're grateful to have you because you're spreading
this word and you've been doing this such a long time,
and as your older sister, I look up to you
as well, So.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Keep up the good work.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
You know you're doing an amazing job. I'm always proud
of you. And if anybody wants to reach out to me,
you can leave my contact. If they have an illegal
questions that I'm able to help them with in the
sense of sharing my mind or even dental questions, I'll
be happy to do so. So thank you so much
for having me as well.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Karen. Please share your information.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
My first initial K and my last name Ergus so
Kurgus k E. R. G us Is and Sierra Law.
That's Kurgus Law at gmail dot com and my telephone
number is six one three seven one six two three
zero four. Feel free to send me an email or
(35:53):
drop me a call and I can help you in
any way I can. I will certainly lead you to
the right place to all your listeners wherever they are
to reach out to me. I'll be happy to help you.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Community.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Shawnee speaking to Karen a Ergis. She is a dental
hygienis as well as an attorney. But other than being
so serious with it all, my sister Karen enjoys music, film,
the arts, and she's also a makeup artist.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
In everything in our lives, we can study and we
can learn to do different professions, but it's important to
have a life, and I do have a life. I
do try to use the faith of a canvas to
help others see the beauty that comes from within and
I do that as a makeup artist. So that's my
spare time, fun thing to do.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Community.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Remember this platform is to highlight everyone, empowering us, ensuring
that we have someone to look up to, someone who
gives us a light at the end of the day
to say, hey, you could do that too. So please
know that you can empower through your family, through your friends.
Be sure to not stop empowering each other as women
(36:57):
and our community. Thank you again for being on community viewpoints.
Thank you for listening to community viewpoints. Be a blessing
and have a blessed day.
Welcome to community viewpoints. Is Shawnee feeling blessed and highly
favored on this Sunday morning. We are lifting every voice
in our community and uplifting women who are fierce and
doing phenomenal things in our community. So this morning I
have the pleasure of interviewing Charmonique McDaniels. Good morning, Charmonique.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good morning Shannie. Thank you so much for having.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Me see you in the community and just vibing with
you when I'm on location at certain events. I wanted
the community to just hear you and what you are
all about. So if you would tell us who is
Charmonique McDaniels.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
Charmonie McDaniel is a voice, an advocate, a community builder,
a mentor, a pillar, a child of God. I've been
in law enforcement for about nineteen years, and prior to that,
I was a school social worker. So the social worker
in me has shown up every day of my nineteen
your career to service people, and I think we have
(01:02):
to sharpen that skill set. Even though sometimes we're dealing
with people's worst day of their life, we still have
to service them like they matter and that you know,
when this crisis is over, for them. Prayerfully their life
is turned around.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Community Shawnee with one of our pillars of strength in
the community. Today, I wanted to highlight female police officers
in our community, and Sharmanique is as you know her
and we'll understand in our community. So, if you would
starting off nineteen years as a police officer, what has
been your experience interacting with the diverse population in Duval County.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Initially I was a beat officer, a patrol officer that
handled nine one one calls, and I've done that from
Mond Creep to Mandarin. And what I'll say is I've
given people the same love and respect that I would
want if I were in their shoes, whether that was
a witness of suspect or a victim. You know, nobody
wakes up in the morning says I want to have
to call nine one one today. But when you find
(01:59):
yourself in that situation, I think it's powerful for someone
that has the authority and the badge and the gun
to still have compassion. And I feel like compassion is
my superpower. And I don't think you're going to find
anyone between mind, craf or manner and that's going to
say that I wasn't fair, that I wasn't compassionate. And
so when my career ends and I look back and
I reflect on what I want my legacy to be,
(02:21):
and that to be that you know, I was fair.
I was compassionate to every neighborhood, every social economic status,
so that people really know that public service is a
noble thing. And I'm grateful to have had the opportunity
to serve our community in our city.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Shany talk to us about the strategies you have on
building trust from Moncrief to Mandarin, and how you address
that specifically with the community concerns.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
So, I think sometimes people, depending on what neighborhood they're from,
they have a misconfused view of what police officers that
want to do or say, or how they're going to
treat them. So when I meet people, when I encounter
them in the line of duty, I go in saying, hey,
I'm not sure how the last law enforcement professional treated you,
but let's start fresh. I don't know you, you know me,
(03:11):
this is my role. I'm here to help you, no
matter what happened before I got here. Let's go in,
you know, blindly trying to do you know, what is right.
If someone did something wrong, and yes, there will be
some accountability. However, let's not make this worse than what
it has to be. And I think you know a
lot of time earning police officers, we have the lead
way to de escalate or to stir things a little more.
(03:32):
And I think again, coming in with compassion for whatever's
happened before I got there normally helps me. And we
can do verbal judo all day with people, but I
think people just want to know that you care. Obviously,
I get paid to service people's problems, but outside of money,
I think you know, because I know my purpose and
that God has me here for a reason, specifically to
serve his people. I'm going to help build them up
(03:54):
and to build that community trust. I am going to
take my time to make sure that when I leave,
they leave better than it was when I got there,
no matter what happened prior to my arrival.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Women History Month community.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
I wanted to highlight the Shirahs in the community and
char Monique is one of them, and she has been
thriving and surviving by protecting us. Charmonique, as a female
police officer, what are the challenges for you?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
So I work in a predominantly white male field. I
knew that coming in, so it was my desire to
remove the stigma that, you know, maybe women don't know
what they're doing, or maybe black women aren't capable. I've
been fortunate enough to do some amazing things that jso like.
I was the first black female in the history of
the city to be on the Mayor's security detail. So
(04:38):
with that weight, I felt like I was taking all
the women with me in those rooms, the shoulders that
I stand on, because I know over time, as you
look at the diversity in law enforcement, there have not
been historically a lot of black women. So I think
the ballpark figure is around eleven percent in our agency.
So you look at those numbers, you may be the
(04:59):
only pers in the room that looks like you, that
feels what you feel because you come from a specific
neighborhood or school or anything like that. But I think, again,
I am standing on the shoulders of women who opened
doors that I would be able to just walk through
and show up. Now, while I came into police work
with a master's degree, every person doesn't have that. But
I knew coming in. I started doing research. I looked
(05:22):
at black female chiefs I looked at women around the
country that looked like me that were doing great things,
and I pulled some inspiration from that. But also the
black female women that were my mom's friends, that were
in our church and in our community, that saw potential
in me as a teenager, that spoke life into me,
and I felt like, those are the things that I
(05:42):
should be doing when I see young people throughout Jacksonville
that just need someone to see the potential in them
and to water that and to help them flourish.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Speaking to a Shira in our community, as you can see,
she has a passion for our community. Charmannique, if you
would talk to us about, you know, the positive relationships
that you have forged in this community and how our
community is currently thriving with that.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
So I served in our Community Engagement division for about
seven years where I came in contact with faith based initiatives,
charter schools, public schools, apartment complexes. And you talk about
a diverse group of people, people from children to the elderly,
servicing them and figuring out how JSO could come in
(06:28):
and create a faithless living environment for them. Because obviously,
police officers have a job to do when we get
off at a certain time when we go back to
our homes. But it was me coming in on a
Saturday and a T shirt and shorts and playing touch
with kids and talking about the things that were happening
to them when the police officers were not around and
not present to protect them. And so, you know, you
called nine one one, and we respond. But what are
(06:48):
we doing outside of that window of just being compensated
to fix what we know is broken? And so when
I looked in the eyes of children that I know
had been exposed to trauma, I took it upon myself
to do that. Now, the next person may not do that,
but I felt led to do that, and through that,
I've been able to build trust, like I said, in
schools and churches, and people call me when it's you know,
(07:10):
it's really really bad or it's really really good.
Speaker 3 (07:12):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
I've had moms to call me that said, you know, hey,
my child cut off their ankle monitor I don't know
what to do. I can't imagine that being mean, But
I put myself in that person's shoes and show again
with compassion and hopefully some recommendations that's going to help
them reuel their child back cancer. That they don't end
up as a part of the criminal justice system for
the rest of their lives. Any child can change, and
I always encourage parents never give up on your child.
(07:35):
I know it looks them, I know they've done something
really bad today, but tomorrow can be the best day
of their lives because they've changed their mind about wanting
to do what is right or what is wrong.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Speaking to Charmonique McDaniels, she's here representing herself as fierce woman,
complimenting women in history months allowing her to share her story, charmaned,
I know that this is a challenging job. So how
do you deal with mental health?
Speaker 4 (08:05):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Wow? So mental health is very very dear to me
because I am actually a full time caregiver to a
younger brother who suffers from a mental illness outside of
my job. So that's something that is a daily responsibility
of mine outside of work. So a lot of the
(08:26):
issues that we've had across our city they're stemmed in
mental health. Some of the homelessness, the recidivism and getting
arrested for the same things is they're hungry, they don't
have anywhere to sleep, and so I know our city
is looking at ways to combat that. But you know,
as an officer, when I see someone in crisis, I'm
not threatened by that. I know that it's their illness.
And because of my background and case management as a
(08:47):
social worker and also dealing with that with my brother,
I know that it takes patience and so sometimes police
officers show up with just you know, limited information. But
I think we're doing a better job in our city
with training everyone in the crisis situations, where all of
(09:09):
our officers are ci T certified, so that we can
acknowledge when something is maybe a mental health issue, or
if it's maybe you know, drugs involved or those kinds
of things, but just having the patience to show up
and process what is really going on with that person
or if they're absolutely being violent, because sometimes that is
the case and obviously that's why you know, people are
calling the police so they don't know what use to
do on when their family, friends are love, when they're
(09:31):
acting out in a certain way and they don't feel safe.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Sharmannie McDaniel's community here to talk to us about her
role in the community, empowering us with every word, talk
to us about you know, everyday life. It looks like
you have a full plate, but you still arrive, you
still come in the office, and you still want to
serve Black history as we know it is every day,
(09:55):
not just the month of February. Being an African American police,
you are history in our eyes, my eyes. Thank you
for your service. What does black history mean to you?
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Thank you for the love. I definitely appreciate that. I
had a very strong, god fearing mother that raised me
in the church, and she taught me to serve people,
and I did community service with the Jacksonville Urban League
and through our local church. And I can remember my
family going to the radio stations to clean the radio
stations that our church could be on the radio for
(10:27):
a window and a segment. So that is instilled in
my fiber, and I thank God for that because I'm
better than no one, not because I just went to
the police academy or graduate school or anything like that.
It should be me tomorrow and them today. And so
I'm not bigger than any issue that human beings space,
because this is life and it happens to all of us.
But just having a healthy perspective to serve people, to
(10:50):
be fair. I get that from my mom and I
definitely stand on her shoulders. Claudia Campbell was the most
amazing woman in the world. And that being said, I'm
a part of you know Big Brothers, you know through
JSO community engagement. I've done the safety patrol trips and
then the Team Police Academy, and I get a chance
to see children when they're in fifth grade and then
again when they're in eleventh or twelfth grade, and I
(11:11):
get to see the celebratory moments. Also sometimes the parents
call me when they get in trouble, but building again,
building that trust from when they're young. I feel honored
to be the person that people trust with the intricate
issues of matriculation, because sometimes children don't have a good
guide on what's writing, what's wrong because of how they're
(11:33):
growing up. And so to be that pillar in the
community that people can lean on to move forward. I
don't take that for granted. I've done all the sports
and played with the YMCA, and I talk about character
building a lot with my friends of mine that are
coaches and also like youth ministry leaders. We talk about
how can we bridge the gap because it starts at
(11:53):
home obviously, but once kids leave home, what are we
doing to add layers of security and support and meaningful
options for these kids to get into want to get
out of school. Some kids don't have anybody monitoring them
until late at night, so what are they doing with
that five six hour window every evening? When kids get bored,
anything can happen, and so we have to give them
(12:14):
some positive influences and outlets to occupy themselves. I played
five sports in middle school, for in high school and
too in college. I had practice almost every day, and
so my community is who supported me and told me
I could be anything that I want to be. So
I'm conscious to remind children that you know, life is
just starting for you. You can be anything you want
(12:34):
to be, but again, to compliment your strengths and develop
your week areas in life. None of us are perfect,
but tomorrow is another day. Your best is yet to come.
These are things I say to all of my menteens
because I really, really truly believe that.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Thank you so much for being a part of community.
Do you point Charmannique McDaniel's here with us today, community
empowering us, understanding that every day is a battle for
all of us. But as a female police police officer,
her vision and her beat is a little different. Charmanique.
I know that you are now a police officer, and
(13:10):
what's your vision, what's next for you?
Speaker 2 (13:12):
My vision is, obviously I want to finish my career
at jas SO, but there'll be some nonprofit work in
my future. I just feel like, by God's design, all
the things that I've done, as far as being a
youth ministry leader, being in the school systems, in these
meetings where we're coming up with safety plans for schools
and for children that may have issues, coupled with my
(13:33):
experience at jas SO, I'm going to have to use
that to serve people for the rest of my life.
So whatever God's plan is, I'm open to that. But
I know there'll be some nonprofit work in the future.
Every week I'm getting calls from different people about different
things because I've been around this type of work so long.
I want to see kids getting involved in community service
and caring about what's happening around them so that they
(13:54):
don't go out and hurt their futures and hurt the
people that live around them. We have to have more
accountability and get back to a real community where we
think about what we do before we do it because
it affects those who live and grow up and work
around us.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
And currently, what is the feel of the city right now?
I don't see as much crime and violence as a
woman in the streets on the beat police officer.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
What's the beat right now for our city?
Speaker 2 (14:20):
So I'm currently assigned to our specialized Investigations unit as
a detective. But what I will say is what I
see is is crime is down. I think crime is
down because we're holding people accountable as it relates to crime.
But more than anything, again, our young people that are
exposed to trauma early that looks like a cycle, and
(14:41):
so when we reach them younger, I think we can
address whatever it is that they're curious about or that
has been going down the wrong path and try to
steer them in a better direction so that they'll want
to be more than they've ever seen before. Exposure is everything,
I think. You know, some people have never left their
thought of town, or never traveled, or never been exposed
to all the things that they want to be. So
(15:03):
being a football player and a basketball player is great,
But what if you have a life an injury that
is going to cut your caresh work? What's the next
best thing. So I never let children tell me I
just want to be an athlete. What else? If that
doesn't work, you have to have a plan to win.
You have to aim high. I believe in shooting for
the stars because if you don't, once you have a
bump in the road, you're ready to quit when you can't.
(15:24):
Build winners with that mentality, and I think the more
winners we have in the city will win together collectively.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Charmanique McDaniel's ladies and gentlemen community a pillar of strength
in our community, ready and willing to serve from Moncreeve
to Mandarin with a caring heart and a just spirit.
Thank you so much for your time today, for your
words of encouragement. Females around the world will understand it's
(15:51):
not easy being a female police officer, but you are
doing a great job. Last question, you reference God a lot,
which you know we're grounded in that a phrase something
that you go by every morning while you're in the
gym that the community can hold on or understand that
(16:12):
fills you up in the morning and guides.
Speaker 3 (16:14):
You through the day.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I'm a firm believer that to who much has ven,
much is required, and so while I've encountered people that
felt like maybe I was doing too much or going
too hard, or whether going to be appreciated by others.
It is not my role to understand what other people
are doing or what motivates them, but to carry the
cross that God has given me, which includes pushing young
(16:36):
people to live in their God given potential and to
be the best that they can be. I have a
number of success stories, and I'm grateful again that that
people trust me with that behind the scenes of their life.
But again, I've kept God first, and that's what's worked
for me. And I'll tell any young person you can't
do it alone. You have to figure out who you
(16:57):
are and why you're here and follow your purpose. And
me serving people has really really been a beautiful journey
from me.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Thank you so much for your time today. Charmonnique McDaniels,
fierce female police officer, highlighting Women History Month this Sunday
and just sharing and lifting every voice in our community.
So thank you for your due diligence. Thank you for
being a pillar. Thank you for being a smiling face
police officer in our community and being approachable in our community.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Thank you for your time today. Charmonique.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
It's my pleasure. Women are gaate keepers and I'm just
grateful to be on this journey.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
Community.
Speaker 1 (17:41):
You never know what a law enforcement officer is going through.
We have some fierce females out there, and you never
know what someone is going through in uniform. Please understand
they are steadfast in service. So thank you so much for.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Your time, my pleasure, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
And we're back with community viewpoints. We are highlighting phenomenal women.
You know, we highlighted the international woman today. I have
an international woman on the line. The woman that I'm
speaking to happens to be my sister. She is full
of power, energy, she drives enthusiasm with a smile. Today
(18:21):
I would like to share with you Kiaren Athena Ergis.
Good morning, Karen, how are you.
Speaker 4 (18:27):
Good morning, Shawnee. I'm doing great. I'm feeling very blessed
and grateful to share my life with you and your
listeners community.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
If you're just tuning in, Shawnee speaking to Karen, honoring
the extraordinary contributions, resilience and achievements of women. I wanted
to highlight my sister today just because she is resilient
in community service. I am highlighting women who you know,
take the community as their own. And so today I
have my own sister. She's my older sister. But before
(18:58):
we get into what she does in the community, I
would like to share with you some of the things
that she's done. She second runner up for Miss Black Ontario.
She is an avid, avid community activist. My sister is
someone who taught me dental hygiene. She's also someone who
has helped us as a family to take care of
(19:20):
things we may not want to as a legal entity.
So Karen, if you would talk to us about, you know,
just starting off as a dental hygienis and then you know,
as your life progressed, what you've been doing.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Thanks for that intro, Yes to the listeners. So I
started off in dental hygiene and I have to honestly
say maybe forty years ago. And when my clients look
at me, they can't believe that, but you know how
it is when you are blessed with good skin and
good hygiene. So forty years ago I took the opportunity
to go into dental assisting because out of high school
I didn't really know what I really wanted to be
(19:54):
and I wasn't. I also believe that I wasn't the
sharpest pencil in the box, but I wanted to get
into someone's I enjoyed mouth and I wanted to get
more involved with the community. Oral health is so important
to our overall health. So I became a dental assistant,
and back then you had to be a dental assistant
before you could be a dental hygienist. So I did
that for five years and then became a hygienis back
(20:15):
in nineteen eighty nine. Since then, I'm still a hygienis.
I registered hygienis. I worked for a gum specialists, so
I learned everything about gum disease and still in the
community helping others understand that. And to that end, I
was able to go into the community and help first Nations,
women and children Unreserve. These are the first nations of Canada.
(20:37):
It could be the first nasion of Quebec, Ontario and
help them and their community to understand oral health and
its benefits and its connection to overall health. I did
that for seven years, and in doing that, I realized that,
you know, there was so much that I didn't know
about the law. I have three beautiful men, black men,
and as you might know some of the community, they're
(20:59):
not always treated fairly in the community when you have
black men striving to be their greatest potential. So my
sons were often interrogated by the law, and I felt,
you know, the best way to actually know how to
deal with that was to go to law school. So
I did go to law school ten years ago, actually
fifteen years ago, and graduated ten years ago and now
(21:22):
I practice business law, but I did start with criminal
law because that will helping me understand how to navigate
the criminal systems for people of color, men of color
and First Nations individuals, because in Canada and I think
it's the same in the States, the criminal system is
filled with people of color and First Nations individuals in jails,
(21:44):
and I wanted to be part of that system to
help those understand, especially my sons, understand what they need
to know about how to maneuver the criminal system. What
do you do when you get stopped by a police
officer if you're speeding, or maybe you're not speeding, but
you were actually profile that. I was able to help
my son, but at the end of the day, now
I am practicing business law because criminal law is very
(22:07):
taxing on the mind. It was very sad to see myself,
meaning people of color, in the criminal system. So now
it's in my community. I give away that knowledge. I
share my brain with those of the community that get
in trouble with the law and they reach out and
I can, at no charge let them know what to
do and how to navigate that. So that's how I'm
giving back to my community in the criminal system. Now
(22:28):
I practice a business law and I help others with
will's and estate employment law. I'm helping a lot of
individuals when you know, if you get fired and you
have a contract and needs to be reviewed and you
want to make sure that you're not being taken advantage
of all review those contracts for anyone across Canada and
the US. Because the law is similar, I can share
my mind anyways and give legal advice when needed. So
(22:51):
now I'm practicing still as a dental hygienist register dental
had three days a week, and then I practice four
days a week as a lawyer. And it's interesting because
now I'm known as the only dental hygienis and lawyer
that actually practices both those professions. There may be somebody
else around, but I don't know, but I do believe
I'm still the only person practicing those two professions at
(23:12):
the same time simultaneously. So that's my journey from dental
hygiene General System dnal hygienis and I'm now a lawyer community.
Speaker 1 (23:21):
If you're just tuning in Shawnee speaking to Karen Ergis,
this is my sister. She's modest in her summary of
her endeavors because what Karen has done is taken her
expertise and has gone into the community. If you've listened,
she says free a lot. She has empowered women and girls.
She's empowered her own sons and family. And one of
(23:44):
the reasons why I wanted to bring her on the
show today is because anywhere in the world there are
people like my sister giving back, trying to make any
community a better community. So thank you Karen for doing
those things. I know that you not just give free
services to Canada. You've traveled to Jamaica and other places.
(24:06):
Talk to us about that.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
Yes, I mean you've got such a good memory, and
yes I did at one time, and I think it's
twenty fifteen, because you know, we were born in Jamaica,
and as you know, I'm the Caribbean. There's many people
can't afford dental care. So I was able to take
a journey to Jamaica in twenty fifteen and spent two
weeks at a resort, and then the goal was to
(24:29):
go out in the community and offer oral health care
to the children and women and families in those community
and parishes. So that I did and I really enjoyed it.
I worked from seven in the morning to seven at night,
educating and cleaning individuals teeth and educating them about gum
disease because many of them have gum disease but have
beautiful teeth, they don't have cavities, but the gum disease
(24:49):
is rampant. So it was really awesome to give back
to my country, go back to Jamaica and give that
skill back and help others with their oral health. So
thanks for remember bring that. But yes, going back home
to Jamaica and giving back is such a It's so
rewarding for me to do that, just help others with
my skill.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
And one of the things is women we often don't
rag about ourselves, we don't boast. So today I would
like to take the opportunity to share my sister Karen
with you all, understanding that both of us are entwined
with the community. We want to help any community where
we live. Understanding we always give back to our homeland
which is Jamaica and of course our second land which
(25:33):
is Canada. Karen often travels just reading some of her
accolades here. One of the things my sister does is
she maintains a connection and commits to her community locally
or nationally any level. Currently, she works in a nonprofit
environment and has worked in a nonprofit environment for years. Karen,
(25:55):
if you would talk to us about, you know, the feeling,
the empowerment of working and powering that nonprofit nation as
you will.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Thank you for mentioning that nonprofits for those who don't know,
is that the profit organization gets money, whether they get
money from the government or they earn that or fundraising,
and it's only for the project. So when you're working
for nonprofit then you're not assured if the project is over,
you may not have a job. So I've been working
with the Native Women's Association of Canada and they've been
(26:24):
in business since I believe nineteen seventy four, so over
fifty years now. And what we do is we try
to empower women to find employment or health, anything that entrepreneurship,
anything that can help them foster and grow. The First
nations of Canada, many of the women are the leaders
of their families, so helping them find jobs, and particularly
(26:46):
what I was doing was helping them find jobs in
the trades, so electrician, plumber, welder, the jobs, the non
traditional jobs that usually men do. So we're trying to
get women in those positions because as you know in
Canada and the US, yes, those trade skills are dying.
The older generation is leaving and no one's coming on
because everybody's going to university and very few people are
(27:07):
going into the trades because they think the trades is
debuty or it's not for the smart individual and actuality.
The trades are very difficult because you've got to work
with your hands and it consists of maybe math and
physics and what have you. So the trades and also
the trades enable you to be an entrepreneur, you can
be a business owner. So over the last two or
(27:28):
three years of able to help ten women find jobs
in the trades, I believe there were eight welders and
two electricians. For me, that is amazing because now they
can feed themselves and feed their family always. Once you
have that skill, you don't lose it, so you can
work anywhere and any time. So empowering individuals to have
(27:48):
the opportunity to work, support themselves and their family, and
then help them down the road as a business lawyer
help them to become a business. So then now they
can be the employer and they can hire others, you know,
to join on and teach others, so there can be
a change. And many of the children really look up
to their moms and dads, but children now look up
(28:09):
to their moms that they can you know, I can
be a welder, I can be electrician, I can be
a plumber. It's very empowering to see children look at
their parents and and wish to be like their parents
and being a part of that. For me, I don't
think any words can explain exactly how that feels. When
someone found a job in the trades and they can
work and they can now make money for their family
(28:30):
which they couldn't do before. So working for nonprofit is
very empowering, it's very rewarding, and you can see it
changes lives, you know.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I do.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
I see that, Kennunity. If you're just tuning in Shawnie
speaking to Karen. She is my sister. We have the
same mother and father, and she has been empowering communities
just like I have. So today I wanted to bring
around the show just to share her with you. As
I stated, Karen has an array of atlids. One of
(29:01):
the things that she also does is she's an author
and she has written a book and it's empowering to
the healthcare environment. We both work in the healthcare arena.
Our mother was in healthcare. Karen, if you would talk
to us about your book, the title, and your mission
for that book.
Speaker 4 (29:19):
It's so nice to be speaking to my sister in
a community because Shan, I'm also very proud of what
you do. So to say that one of my desires
in life was to write a book, maybe three. So
I've written a book and the book encompasses my forty
years of knowledge. So it's about over health. But everyone
has told me that has read the books available in Amazon,
(29:40):
it's about it can be in any arena, any arena
you can read this book where you can get some
ideas and some goals about professionalism, how to continue making
a difference with your business in your community. When there
are ten offices around you and you're the only one,
how do you become different than the others. So the
book in itself empowers individuals to be professionals and to
(30:02):
be the best at their business. So it's not only
for the oral health, but it's for any business that
there is an employer and an employee that is offering
a service. I wanted to accomplish that because one, you know,
forty years of knowledge goes by without me. So that
book was to symbolize my knowledge and leave behind a
legacy for my family. It's always going to be there
(30:23):
for Mom Soanjie and Sean, my sisters, my mother, my father,
and my children. So it's there always and I wanted
to do that as a legacy for our family. I'm
very grateful that I was able to accomplish this because
it wasn't an easy feat, but I had a lot
of help to get that book on the shelf. And
hoping to do another two books for my own life,
my own biography.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Community Shawnee Speaking and highlighting women in our community, in
our country internationally who are doing great things to empower
each other, to empower a community, to empower women and girls.
Today I have the privilege of sharing my sister Karen.
She has a plethora of accolades. Things that is a
common denominator with she and I is that we are
(31:06):
community based. We take that from our mother. I truly
believe we care about people and our community, and we
are resilient in ensuring that we help our community as servants.
One of the things I learned is that if you
don't take care of your teeth or your gums, it
could cause cardiac arrest.
Speaker 4 (31:23):
That is right. It can cause many things, premature babies, diabetes,
it can make other diseases manifest a little bit sooner.
But I don't think people think about it. Your mouth
is the entry to everything. So if there's bactery in
your mouth, which we do have, we have good and bad.
But if you have more of a bad BACTERI and
you don't take care of your teeth, like going to
the dentist at least once a year for nourmal examination
(31:45):
and senior dental hygienis at least twice a year at
a minimum between the ages of zero to twenty five,
and then twenty five up maybe three times a year.
You're not taking care of the disease in your mouth,
and it does travel because all your teeth are to
to the veins and arteries that are in you, goes
to your heart and everywhere else. So it's understood that
(32:07):
you should take your mouth because it actually affects the
rest of your body. You know, you are what you eat.
As they say, it's not only about the food that
you eat, but it's about the oral health condition of
your mouth. And for those who do not know, oral
cancer happens first in the mouth. You know, you can
usually see it in the mouth. If you're going to
see your dental hygienis, we're always looking in your teeth,
(32:29):
in your mouth and your gums more so than your physician.
Most people see their dental hygienis or dentists more often
than their physicians. So chances are it's going to be
the dental office that's going to notice any changes in
your mouth, and that usually would be oral cancer, depending
on what your genetics may be.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
So you're doing.
Speaker 4 (32:48):
Yourself a favor by it's going to your dentist for
your oral exam. Because it's also kind of like the
physical exam to see what else is going on in your.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Mouth community Shanni highlighting women, empowering the community, understanding what
is needed to make a better community. Karen, I know
that as we move and groove and life is lifing,
we have something that keeps us going. And you and
I know that we were brought up in the church,
and I know that's one of the things that keeps
(33:16):
us steadfast. What else keeps you steadfast? To keep going,
to keep empowering others.
Speaker 4 (33:22):
The listeners that are listening, and all the mothers that
are out there, and fathers and single parents and single fathers.
The one that keeps me going is the fact that
I am a mother of three amazing great boys. I mean,
as a mother, we really have a job and a
task to take care of our children in every shape
and form, because we're leaving those children to the community.
(33:42):
And you know, if you take the time to take
care of your children, well of course they're going to
take care of you, but also they're going to be
part of a community. So we talk about being community
based and taking care of the community, but what we
put into the community affects the community on a whole.
So what keeps me going is to make sure that
my children I'm their parents. As they grow older, I
become their advisors, to be always available to them for advice,
(34:06):
whether it be legal advice or just parental advice to
guide them, because once your mother will always be a mother,
So take care of your children is one of the
things that I want to continue to do well because
when I leave, there will be in the community and
they will be representing me in the community and making
sure that as I'm giving back to the community, they
see that as an example so that they continue to
(34:29):
give back at the community, which they are doing now,
and I'm so proud of that for them that I'm
actually a good role model to my children that they
can continue my legacy when I'm not here anymore.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Thank you as my daughter Jayles, she's studying now for
to take the dental exam to get into dental school.
So I want to thank you for being an example
and also a great friend to me. I want to
thank you as a sister. I want to thank you
as a woman. I want to thank you as a
powerful woman in the community for being said fast and
taking care of our fathers. As as an attorney, so
(35:01):
thank you for just being a woman of strength.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
You're welcome to you. I want to stay into listeners
that they're we're grateful to have you because you're spreading
this word and you've been doing this such a long time,
and as your older sister, I look up to you
as well, So.
Speaker 2 (35:15):
Keep up the good work.
Speaker 4 (35:16):
You know you're doing an amazing job. I'm always proud
of you. And if anybody wants to reach out to me,
you can leave my contact. If they have an illegal
questions that I'm able to help them with in the
sense of sharing my mind or even dental questions, I'll
be happy to do so. So thank you so much
for having me as well.
Speaker 3 (35:31):
Karen. Please share your information.
Speaker 4 (35:33):
My first initial K and my last name Ergus so
Kurgus k E. R. G us Is and Sierra Law.
That's Kurgus Law at gmail dot com and my telephone
number is six one three seven one six two three
zero four. Feel free to send me an email or
(35:53):
drop me a call and I can help you in
any way I can. I will certainly lead you to
the right place to all your listeners wherever they are
to reach out to me. I'll be happy to help you.
Speaker 3 (36:02):
Community.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Shawnee speaking to Karen a Ergis. She is a dental
hygienis as well as an attorney. But other than being
so serious with it all, my sister Karen enjoys music, film,
the arts, and she's also a makeup artist.
Speaker 4 (36:17):
In everything in our lives, we can study and we
can learn to do different professions, but it's important to
have a life, and I do have a life. I
do try to use the faith of a canvas to
help others see the beauty that comes from within and
I do that as a makeup artist. So that's my
spare time, fun thing to do.
Speaker 3 (36:36):
Community.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
Remember this platform is to highlight everyone, empowering us, ensuring
that we have someone to look up to, someone who
gives us a light at the end of the day
to say, hey, you could do that too. So please
know that you can empower through your family, through your friends.
Be sure to not stop empowering each other as women
(36:57):
and our community. Thank you again for being on community viewpoints.
Thank you for listening to community viewpoints. Be a blessing
and have a blessed day.
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